


Polar Opposites

by KnightofSpace



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 2014 davekat....so dont judge....haha, Humanstuck, I dont really know what else to tag this as, M/M, OLD davekat, kingdom au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:24:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1296433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightofSpace/pseuds/KnightofSpace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A far off kingdom has just gotten the idea to attack Derse and Prospit. These two kingdoms havent gotten along ever since the death of a certain someone. But Derse is too small to take the third kingdom on by themselves so a marriage merger is in order. Prince Dave steps up to the plate and says he will in fact marry a princess of Prospit for Derse's safety. But, while an accident happens on the way to Propsit he sees a hella cute boy working at a potions shop and is completely just awed by his attractiveness. Dave wants to get to know this guy more but Daves marriage...oh no...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prince Dave of Derse

**Author's Note:**

> so i havent read homestuck in a long time and i havent you know seen homestuck around a lot either so im not entirely sure if anything in here is ooc but if it is i'm super sorry. it was just a good story thing i thought of and i had to write it. also...i can refer to medicine as "potions" right....well the potions are like yummy drinks that can 'heal' you. Dave doesnt wear shades in this. Red, yellow, pink, orange, purple eyes? Totally possible...The trolls are all human too and grown up so they have their blood color as their eye color. ok bye (i fixed the formatting is it better now)

There was a knock on the door, followed by a voice that only barely reached my ears. What was it saying? I didn't have the energy to even think much less yell out a 'what?' so i let whoever it was wait for a minute while i tried to gain my consciousness. It wasn't a very good plan though, while I stared up at the purple ceiling of my room, i could feel myself falling back asleep and that voice started being less and less important.

"DAVE!" the voice finally yelled. Oh, what. It was just Rose. I sprang up at the volume her voice took and almost fell over while i was at it.

"God, what do you want Rose?" I finally replied.

 "It's time for you to be up. You should know by now that this is the time we all wake up for breakfast. You have been living here your whole life." I wanted to reply with a "Oh, excuse me miss perfect" but I kept it to myself. I wasn't even fully conscious yet so it wouldn't have been satisfying anyways.

A groan escaped my mouth and I hoped that she would take it as a reply. She did because she replied back to me immediately.

 "Good, I'm glad you're up. I'll see you at breakfast. Oh, you should know that you only have about six minutes until you're expected at the breakfast table so i suggest you be quick." The fading effect her voice had at the end of her last sentence showed that she was already leaving.

 "Rose!" Due to shock or adrenaline or whatever it was that got you moving in stressful situations I had actually fallen off my bed while that sunk in. There was no way i could get decent in only six minutes and there was absolutely no way i could show up indecent. Not that i was ever indecent. Prince Dave always looked nice.  But, you know, kingdom rules. Quickly, I pushed myself up off the floor and ran to my closet. My outfit for today was hung up nicely, my boots sat neatly below it. When did the maids even come in here? When do they ever come in here? Those speedy maids always surprise me. It's like when i want something it's already there or could be done in a second. Like a good neighbor the Derse Kingdom maids are there, you know? Gotta love those maids.

 I started to put my outfit on as fast as i possibly could. I pulled on the red pants and carefully slipped the black boots on over them, making sure not to allow the pants to wrinkle in unsightly ways. Usually, princes wear those weird poofy pants but since i train with the knights of our kingdom i don't have to. Thank god, seeing Dirk wear them everyday always rises some sort of laughter from me but i've gotten used to it over time. The red shirt given to me had some sort of gear on it. Wait, half a gear? It was sprawled across the entire front and a darker red than that of the shirt. "Hey, this looks pretty cool.." I grabbed the gold pieces of fabric that were to be tied around my waist and the dark red clip shaped gear with a gold outline that would hold them in place as a belt kinda thing. The gear laid on the side of my waist because I just didn't like how it looked in the center. The golden epauettes were troubling to put on because i was in such a rush but eventually they were on and i was looking more and more like a prince. I threw on the golden sash and finally took a glance at the deep red cape waiting for me to tie it around my shoulders. The top layer was a solid red that cut just short of the bottom layer of sheer red fabric with a gold trim along the bottom and sides.

 Once i put it on i took a look in the mirror and said "Hey, I look pretty good." It was true i did look pretty good but there was no time for that, I started walking out of my room and once again, the complete purpleness of the castle just threw me off. Most of the stuff in the castle had some sort of dark purple on it. Like a purple that represents the night. The clothing they wore here in Derse usually had some purple on it too. Occasionally, there would be Gold added on or maybe even white. Purple was just Derse's thing I guess. It all made Derse seem so dark though. The fact that we didn't get a lot of sunlight here helped with that. Derse. The kingdom of darkness. I took at look at the clock in the hallway. "Shit dude" I started walking faster, I had took up at least 15 minutes getting ready. Well, whatever, being fashionably late was not a crime in my book. If someone shows up late looking completely ordinary of course I can understand the anger but if someone shows up late and looks nice enough to turn heads twice, hey, no one should blame them.

 By the time i showed up at the breakfast table Rose, Dirk, and Roxy, were all sitting quietly and eating. Cal was standing next to Dirk with a white cloth hung on his arm. He was almost like Dirk's personal butler. He always stood at Dirk's side. There are times when Cal left Dirk to do whatever he wanted while he...wait, what does Cal do when he isn't standing next to Dirk? I can't believe I never thought about this before...

"You're late." Cal said to me as a maid rushed to pull my chair out for me.

"Man, you don't have to do that...thanks" i whispered it just under my breath so Cal wouldn't hear. I could feel Cal's cold stare on me as I took my seat. God, he was so creepy. I used to think the guy was a pretty cool dude since Dirk always hung out with him and said he was cool but as i grew up i realized his still stares more and more and It just finally clicked that yeah, this guy's a pretty scary guy. He didn't even have to say anything else. He knew that his blank condescending stare was enough to make me uncomfortable and therefore, do as he said. And it really did make me want to make sure i never missed the beginning of breakfast ever again. But, of course, that's just not gonna happen. I'll miss breakfast again some day.

"Yeah, won't happen again." I finally said after I picked up my fork and was reaching for some food in the middle of the table.

 The atmosphere started to turn awkward and quiet but I didn't let it keep me from eating my food. It's all about nutrition. When the table went completely silent, my wish for someone else to speak rose higher and higher. I looked up to Rose who was sitting across from me. She sat with such elegance and propriety. She always sat that way though, Rose was just a really proper person. I noticed that she had a book to the side of her plate that didn't have a bookmark in it. Instead, the bookmark sat next to the spine on the white table cloth. There's no way that Rose wouldn't use a bookmark to keep her exact place in a book she was interested in. And if she brought a book to breakfast, it had to be a book she was really interested in.

"Why isn't your book clammin' down on that bookmark? Don't separate what should be together, Rose." When she looked up at me, her eyes lidded and a small sarcastic smile came to her face.

"Very funny." She replied. "Apparently, books are no longer allowed at the table. I didn't know it had become such an issue." Her eyes looked down and in the direction of Cal. She was telling me that Cal had shut her book. Probably, while she was reading it and so she couldn't put her bookmark in place. It's like this Cal guy is our ruler. Dirk always shakes off orders he gives because Cal was really all Dirk had while he was growing up and he loves him on a certain level but there's a limit to what you can just let happen. I let my shoulders fall in fake disbelief and my fork clank against my plate.

"Limiting your education, despicable."

"Dave."

"Oh. So the prince finally speaks."

"Dave. Just finish your breakfast."

 Dirk looked at me with a drained expression. He always seemed to be tired these days. He was the oldest after all, he had a lot of the duties a king should have while he was only a prince. Our parents died when i was too young to even know that i was alive and Dirk was left as regent. My dad was killed in battle, stabbed. And my mom was killed while dining with the King of the Prospit Kingdom. That's why our Kingdom has since been set out to destroy Prospit. They all think the Prospit Kingdom plotted to kill my mom, and were successful. But I know the princes and princesses of the Prospit Kingdom and they don't seem like the kind of people. Dirk and Roxy went through it full on with all the memories of them and it had to hurt but they smiled and raised me and rose as best as they could and i'm thankful for that. The last thing i wanted to do was put him through more stress, he was my bro after all.

"Nah, i think i'll just go ahead and start training. Gotta be ready for a war, right." Picking up some of the food off of my plate i stood up and made my way out of the room. I could still feel that cold stare on me while the doors closed. It felt like they watched me, even when the doors were shut and i was halfway down the hall.

* * *

 

 My training was interrupted since Dirk called us all in for some meeting or something. Dirk doesn't do this often, so something must be up. When i finally got to the Main room where our thrones sat, I saw Dirk, Roxy, and Rose all seated once again, without me. Hal was standing in front of them, waiting. Hal was a pretty cool dude, he usually informed us of news that was pretty important for us to know as the princes and princesses of Derse.

"Yo, sorry i'm late. The training grounds are pretty far away. So, what's up?" I took my seat next to Roxy and waited. Cal still stood by Dirk's side, I noticed. Man, does that guy ever leave him alone? The King's and Queen's thrones had been removed since my parents' death so now, only four small thrones sat on top of the stairs. Each of them purple with a gold frame that had Derse's crown symbol at the top. The crown symbols were colored according to who's chair it was. My crown was red, Rose's was a light purple, Roxy's was pink, and Dirk's was Orange. The order from Left to Right was Rose, Dirk, Roxy, and then me. I looked down to the long purple carpet and who was standing on it. Hal started to open a letter he had in his hands. "It seems a nearby kingdom is planning to attack us. I have received word that they are training their soldiers as we speak. They have far more soldiers than we do and I do believe something needs to be done before we are defeated by this enemy."

A war was coming.

 "Don't tell me you're underestimating the Derse Knights. You really think we can't take these guys?" Hal looked me in the eye after i said that and simply said "As much faith as I have in you fighting for our kingdom, I know you can't. You're just too outnumbered."

"So what do you want us to do, Hal?" This time Roxy spoke. Her eyes glistened with a hopeful light. What's got her so giddy...

"I think a marriage merger is what our next move should be. The size of our kingdom would increase and the defense would go up with it."

Everyone Sat up at this. Roxy smiled faintly when she heard the news. Dirk looked troubled. He looked down and straightened his position. "Are you telling me to get married, Hal?" The tone of his voice was so unsure that it shook at some points.

"Yes. I already have a kingdom in mind, a princess as well."

"But you know why I...couldn't do that."

Hal's eyes raised to who was standing next to Dirk's throne.

"Yes, Your Highness, but this is very important for the safety of our kingdom."

Roxy's excitement left and she looked down then to Dirk. "...Who is she? Is she coming to visit?" She wore a concerned pitiful expression now. What was up? I noticed Dirk started to turn the ring on his finger again and again while he waited for more news.

"It's Princess Jade of Prospit."

Rose leaned forward in her throne, "You're asking Dirk, the successor to the throne, to marry into the kingdom most hated by dersites?" Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Don't be mistaken, we honestly have no problem with the Prospit kingdom, as you recall we have met with them before and they are a delight but the people of Derse would have an outrage." Rose's face was still filled with disbelief.

Roxy followed with "Plus, isn't she a little too young for Dirk? I mean she's Rose and Dave's age."

 Hal's eyes focused on Dirk. It looked like he pitied him too or like he wanted Dirk to say something. Did Dirk not want to marry? Then, his eyes shifted to look at Rose, and then to me. "Well, unless you two want to marry into the Prospit kingdom, I have no further ideas."

 Roxy looked over to Rose but Rose didn't make a sound. Dirk kept turning the ring on his finger with an absent expression. What is with him? Is he seriously troubled by this? Why? Roxy's Pink eyes then turned to mine and yelled out 'please'. Then it was my turn to look confused.

"What, why is everyone looking at me now. Why can't Roxy marry into the kingdom?"

Roxy looked back to Hal.

 "It seems the older Prince of Prospit is currently in training. He has not been seen for quite some time and I don't believe anyone will be able to contact him until he returns. The only other prince is the younger Prince of Prospit, Prince John. Am I mistaken in believing Your highness would want to marry younger than her?"

Roxy looked as if she was actually considering it. John was a huge dork I could not let Roxy marry him for whatever reason it is that she's so about not letting Dirk marry Jade.

"Fine. I will marry into the Prospit kingdom."

Dirk was the first to look up at me, followed by Rose and Roxy.

 "Yeah, sure. I like princess Jade, I don't have a problem with it. You should probably ask if she has a problem with me though. We don't want make her uncomfortable or anything." Everyone's eyes were still on me. "Are you entirely sure about this Prince Dave?" Hal asked. "Yeah. Sign me up for that marriage. I'm always down with getting married for our safety."

 I did like Jade. When we met about a year ago I thought we really clicked and I even had a crush on her for the small amount of time we were together. I just didn't think i was going to be marrying at 16 years old. Marrying for the kingdoms safety was no big issue for me. Even an arranged marriage. I mean what were the odds I would fall in love anyways? No dersite has ever caught my eye. I hardly got to see any dersites at all. "So, when will we meet to make arrangements?"

"They invited you all to stay at their castle while the preparations were made. They will provide you all with rooms and will tell you all about the kingdom that you need to know."

"Alright. Great. Tomorrow. Got it. See ya, I gotta go to bed if i want to be awake early enough for that ride to prospit."

 I hopped out of my chair and started walking to the door that eventually, after loads of hallways and stairs, led to my room. Then I heard footsteps running toward me on the tile floor. It was Dirk. Roxy and Rose had just been getting up and straightening out their dresses as they began to walk toward the door on the other side of the room.

His voice was so quiet that even I had trouble hearing it. "Hey, little man. I appreciate that and all but, can i talk to you?"

"Sure."

* * *

 

 When the door's were closed, Dirk pushed me into a nearby room and locked the door. "Woah man, I thought this was pretty important but why does this have to be so hush hush? What are you gonna tell me?" Dirk pulled me to the farthest end of the room so that if anyone was listening at the door, they wouldn't be able to make out what we were talking about. "Hey, I just realized you finally don't have Cal stuck to your side anymore." Dirk didn't care about my side comments at all ‘cause he jumped right into it.

"Dave, look, you really don't need to force yourself to do this. I can...I can still marry into the Prospit Kingdom. It's really not that big a deal..."

Dirk's eyes wandered around in thought while he said that but they eventually came back to mine. "It sure seems like a pretty big deal. I mean, I know Hal annoys you but I also know he knows a lot about you and even he looked like he was sorry to put you through that." Dirk didn't say anything after that. His brooding expression was etched on his face so clearly...does he seriously not want me to go through with this? His mouth opened slightly and then shut again. "Can I ask why you're so shaken up about this? Like do you not want to get married? What's up?" I was genuinely curious. Roxy and Hal obviously knew but me and Rose were in the dark. Dirk's face finally relaxed and he backed away a bit.

"Yeah, Let me just get my thoughts together..." I waited.

"Ok, uh, so, you have the right to know this since you're gonna be marrying in my place..."

His words weren't whispers anymore.

"Um, so, basically...I'm into...guys."

"Wait, you mean like..."

"Yeah. I am not attracted to girls. Romantically, or sexually."

 I let that sink in for a second. I love Dirk, he's my bro and I don't have a problem with people who are interested in the same sex but this is bad news for him. He's the successor to the throne, he needs to have a kid at some point. He needs someone to be able to take the throne from him when he's gone. And then there's the kingdom...they'll want a queen eventually...Well, I do always say kingdom rules suck. Who needs 'em. And hey, this explained why he didn't want to marry Jade. I'm happy to help out with that. "Oh man, so do you have a man?" I asked. Dirk's face flushed in embarrassment, next thing i know i was being pushed away. Covering his face he mumbled "Don't...don't just ask stuff like that." I chuckled. "So you do?" I said.

"Uh, no...but..."

"But?" at this point i was teasing, just trying to see if i could answer from him. Hey, maybe he had a thing for Hal.

"I-It's not important, Dave. Now you know. So, thanks, a lot bro." His hands still covered his face while he left the room.

"No problem." I said just before he closed the door.

Damn...so Dirk is gay. You know, this explains a lot. Like why he always stayed silent when people asked what kind of girl he planned to marry. I started walking back to my room and then fell asleep after i got into something that was actually comfortable.

* * *

 

"How far away is Prospit?" We were all getting into carriages and getting ready to leave. Even though I didn't sneak out yesterday night to hang out with Sollux and Equius, I didn't get a lot of sleep.

"I honestly don't know. Perhaps it's only a few hours?" Rose was with me in a carriage. It was always me and Rose and Roxy and Dirk. What was with that. Young ones with the young ones or something?

"I hope so. I don't want to spend a day in a carriage."

"Me either but it's bound to happen some day."

"Ugghhhhh" I groaned. Rose pulled open the curtain on her side of the carriage and pinned it up so we could see outside.

"There. That should entertain you. Now, if you'll excuse me." She pulled out a golden book and started to read.

"You're reading about Prospit already?"

"I think it will help." She said.

"But, that's a book written in Derse isn't it? Wouldn't it just have a negative view of prospit?" Derse has been trying to go to war and destroy Prospit for a while now. I don't think they would write a good book about them.

"No, it actually doesn't. I found this book in our library. I'm sure they could have made a mistake or two and left a positive book on Prospit in Derse. Prospit looks beautiful. It's really nothing like Derse. It's so bright there and everything is golden. Quite interesting." She didn't lift her head once when she said any of that.

"Hm. Well. i'm going back to my window entertainment." I pulled back the curtain on my side of the carriage too. Dersites were going about their daily lives. Walking around and stuff. Wearin' their cute little Derse clothes.

 I finally matched the colors of Derse too. Today i was wearing Derse purple and I thought it looked pretty good. It totally clashes with my eye color though. Purple and red? No go. Man, were there a lot of dersites that just looked mad. When we passed by everyone got on one knee and bowed.  I laughed when i saw Sollux and Equius at their booth arguing. Equius was an artillator. Sollux was...i'm not sure. He was just some dude that knew a lot about a lot of stuff. Maybe he was a peddler. He always carries around tarrot cards with him. Maybe he's a fortune teller? He definitely has the look of one. When we passed by Sollux noticed and mouthed "Where are you going?" while he lifted his shoulders and his hands hung mid-air like when you ask "Why?". Equius then noticed and immediately bowed. I tried to mouth something back to Sollux but he couldn't understand me. In a quick motion I grabbed Rose's book and pushed it up against the window, pointing to it. "Hey!" She hit me and took her book back from my hands. Sollux nodded in understanding and then Equius' hand pushed his head down, forcing him into a bow. Then, I couldnt see them anymore and we passed the gates of the town.

* * *

 

"Oh my goooooooooood are we there yet?!" The ride to Prospit was so long, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm not sure, Dave. Ask." Rose read her Prospit book this entire ride and i hadn't talked to anyone in what seemed like forever. My head was laying on the window and I was so tempted to put my legs up on Rose's lap but she would probably kill me if I did.

"Relax, It hasn't been that long. It's only been...five hours?! The time got away from me..." Just then we heard a voice from the front of the carriage.

"Your highnesses, Were nearly there! Prospit is now in sight!"

"Oh, yes! Thank god!" I was starving. Hopefully they'll feed us when we get there. Rose closed her book and looked more closely out the window.

"Wow, Prospit really is golden." Her voice ringed with amazement. Out of curiosity, I looked out the window too and on the horizon was a kingdom of gold. It was so bright I honestly couldn't tell which was more radiant, the sun or Prospit.

"Wow..." were the only words that slipped through my lips. Prospit. A kingdom of light.

When we finally had made it through the gate and were riding over to the castle me and Rose didn't hesitate to wave and look at all the new things and people. A lot of them seemed to know who we were because they waved and smiled and some gave a small bow and then kept doing what they were doing. It was indeed a rare sight to see. Then, my cheek was hitting the window hard and rose's book was flying out of her hands as she fell on my side. I grabbed onto the sides of the carriage as it swung left and right and the horse's neighs were just going insane. When they finally stopped, our carriage door was opened by the coachman and he was bowing his head.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. The horse acted up and..." he was searching for some words to explain why it had happened.

"Lift your head, it's really fine. I would actually love to look around here before we stop at the palace. There's so many new things to see." Rose was opening her own carriage door and running toward stores nearby.

"Uh! Your Highness!" The coachman freaked out about Rose not waiting to have her door opened for her.

"She's fine." I said.

"With all due respect your highness, you two are quite careless when it comes to your position." I turned to him and offered him my hand. "...you can't be serious..." he said to me. I just looked him right in the eye.

"Do I look like i'm not serious. Hop to it." He grabbed my hand and helped me down the carriage with such an awkward look on his face. I live for these moments. "Thanks. Oh. Looks like the wheel came off...how long will that take to get goin again?"

"It really shouldn't take very long. There must be someone around here who could fix it. I'm very sorry." Man i was getting tired of people apologizing to me for things that weren't even their fault.

"No, don't worry about it. Rose looks like she's having fun so it all worked out for the best." His face lifted and he smiled.

"Careless..." He bowed once more and went to attend to the horse.

Turning my attention back to Rose, I noticed she had found her way to a potions shop. A tan girl with short black hair and jade green eyes stood behind the counter. She was laughing while she talked to Rose about potions or whatever. When i joined them Rose introduced me. "Oh. This is my brother, Dave."

The Jade eyed girl bowed her head to me and said "I'm Kanaya. It's a pleasure to meet you." and turned back to Rose. "I wouldn't expect royalty from a kingdom who was set on destroying us to be so friendly." Rose's eyes rolled and she let her arm fall onto the counter.

"Ugh yeah, sorry about that. We at the castle don't actually want to destroy you. We know it wasn't your kingdom that...you know..." Rose didn't want to say the words. We were the same age when it happened but I don't remember a thing. Maybe Rose was just better at memory than I was.

"Well, I'm gonna go check out some other shops while they uh fix the wheel." I interrupted. There was a spiffy sword on the other side of the trail and I was definitely getting some details on that.

My eyes were so fixed on the sword that I didn't realize there was a guy holding a box of potions running in my direction and before I knew it, I was drenched in blues, greens, and purples. The boy grunted and started to pick up the pieces of glass. "Watch where you're going you Ill-bred Idiot" was the first thing he said to me.

"Ill-bred? I don't know about that..." His sardonic smile faded when he looked up and realized what I was wearing. "Man, if i were some other prince, you would be in serious trouble right now." I finally focused my attention on him instead of my soaked clothes and I was blown away. He was so good-looking. His tan skin...God, His tan skin. That was the most perfect shade of brown a person I had ever seen was ever. And his black-brown hair against it made it even more alluring. Oh my god, am I... into guys? Two gay princes from Derse, what would be the odds.

Beautiful eyes that shined like rubies looked up into mine and I lost it. Yeah, I'm totally into guys. As soon as i snapped out of it i bent down to help him pick up the pieces. "Uh, here, I'll help you." His eyes followed me in disbelief and then he sprang up, box in hand.

"I don't need help from you..." He started walking toward the potions shop Rose and Kanaya were still talking at.

"Too late." I said and I reached over to drop a few pieces of glass into the box he was carrying. There was a pause.

"Thanks..." He picked up his pace again after he muttered those words and I followed.

"So uh, what's your name?" I asked. Anything to keep this going, I also just really wanted to know his name.

"Why do you want to know my name? You're a prince. I'm a guy that works at a potions shop. We probably won't ever see each other again after this." Yeah, he was right. I hadn't even seen the way here. I'm not sure i could come back even if I wanted to. I mean, unless i asked for a ride here...When i was about to open my mouth and say something like 'who knows?' the coachman called for me and Rose. The carriage had been fixed and my chance had been lost.

I got into the carriage while i watched him drop the box on the floor of the store and start talking to Kanaya. The coachman was saying something about my outfit being ruined and for once i agreed. I was supposed to be decent when i met my new bride and this was far from it. I am really not in the mood for everything that's about to happen. Oh god, hold on. I forgot I was here to get married and here I am getting infatuated with some really...attractive potions guy. Yeah, I am really not in the mood for everything that's about to happen.


	2. Starry Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventures of Dave the Derse Prince: Prospit Kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know I havent updated in like a month now. I got writers block tho at one point while writing this. and i was focusing on school and stuff and school is the worst let me tell you. anyways, i finally finished this so here. have it. I personally feel like it goes kind of fast but idk. tell me what you think.

Due to the incident with the potions we were rushed to the castle quickly so that i could change before we were introduced to the Prospit kingdom. I was standing in some random room inside the castle that I had been rushed over to. I haven't even seen any of the Princes or Princesses from Prospit.

We actually hadn't brought extra clothes because what were the chances that this would happen? I'm not sure what they'll make me wear. I just hope i don't have to wear poofy pants like Dirk. I got bored and decided to sit down on a yellow couch that was nearby and as soon as i did the large doors at the end of the room opened. Cal was walking into the room with yellow cloth hung on his arm and a new pair of boots in his other hand. His eyes were still so emotionless, like a puppet. When he was about a foot in front of me he stopped and looked down at me. Our eyes didn't break contact until he sighed and pulled the yellow cloth off his arm to reveal that they were Prospit prince clothes.

"Due to your foolish acts you will now be wearing these." He handed the clothes over to me and placed the boots before me on the ground. "These are Prospit colors though. I'm here to represent Derse. Do they not have other colors?" Man would it be embarrassing being the only one from Derse in the colors of Prospit.

"Don't you think it's fitting? You will soon be married to a Princess of Prospit, won't you? Imagine how happy it will make the prospitians." His eyes stayed wide as usual when he said this. Only moving his eyebrows to get across whatever emotion he was trying to express.

"Fine. I'll wear them." I turned around and put the clothes on the chair while i took off my boots and put them next to the other side of it. I was about to start to change when i realized that Cal wasn't gone yet. He wasn't even moving. I turned back to him and his eyes met mine once again. I have said it a million times and i will say it a million more. This guy is so creepy.

"Is there anything else i need to know?" I asked, hoping he wasn't there to just watch me undress.

"You didn't answer the question." he replied immediately. "Allow me to repeat myself, Your Highness. You will soon be married to a Princess of Prospit, won't you?"

"What kind of question is that? Why do you think I came here? To marry Jade and hopefully stop us from all dying." Hold on. What was he asking. This sounds like he knows about my encounter with that potions boy. Like he knows that I was questioning whether I was going to go through with this in the end. He just stared at me.

"Yes. I will soon marry a Princess of Prospit. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Silence.

"Very well. If you'll excuse me, Your Highness." He turned and finally started leaving the room. When he was gone my shoulders relaxed and i breathed a sigh of relief. If that guy has one talent, it's to intimidate anyone. And I do mean anyone. I don't scare that easily...but Cal always effortlessly made me feel terrified and like i should be watching my back. When i was done transforming into a Prospit Prince, I left the room and followed the guards to wherever it was that everyone else was. In a few minutes, I would be standing with Jade and we would be engaged.

* * *

 

"DAVE!"

A smiling Jade was running up to me, arms open wide. She hugged me and i picked her up and spun her around once before putting her back down and saying

"Hey." with a small smile. Her green eyes glanced up into mine as she continued to smile, then she backed away from me looking down then back up as she brought her hands together in an elegant way.

"So..." she said.

"Aw don't go all shy on me now, Harley" I replied. I imagine she was shy because this was the first time we were meeting as an engaged couple. Which was pretty weird. But, It still didn't feel real to me. It felt like we were just meeting again after years.

"I'm not going shy!! It's just that now were engaged. It's all just kind of crazy if you ask me." She took note of my golden clothes and commented immediately. "Oooooo!! You're dressed in John's clothes!" She stepped back to have a better look, her eyebrows raised high and that smile still on her face. Jade almost always smiled. It was something I liked about her.

"Yeah...Not sure how i feel about them. How does it look?"

"You look great Dave!" She said.

"I mean, you were supposed to be wearing your kingdoms color since you are here representing it but I don't think this is too big of an issue. Plus, I think it looks great on you."

"Yeah, you're right. Hey, at least i still get to wear my purple sash. Gotta have some purple on me right?"

"Right! Oh, how come you had to change though? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, it's actually this whole crazy thing, there was this-" I caught myself before i went into full detail. "Uh interesting...sword i was going to look at but then some guy bumped into me while holding some drinks and now were here."

"Oh wow! Is the guy okay? I sure hope so..."

I raised my eyebrows "Oh yeah, he's fine." I said. "Pretty fine." I said again.

"That's great then Dave! So everything worked out." She was smiling again.

"Yeah pretty much. So what are you doing here anyway? Don't tell me you were trying to get a peek at this body." Her eyebrows furrowed and she punched me playfully on the arm.

"Yeah, right. I'm here to show you the way over to the front of the castle where you'll all be announced. Then the festival will start." She turned away from me and started walking to the archway just across the room. Through it were windows that showed a beautiful view of the kingdom. "Dirk, Roxy, and Rose are already over near the entrance. I was sent since, you know, we're supposed to married soon..." Jade laughed one of those laughs that was like a whisper. She did it when she finished her sentence, her words intertwining with the sound of concern. Wait.

"Did you say festival?" Her dress twirled as she turned on her heel to face me, smile, and grab my hand. She pulled me and then we were running down so many halls i lost count, not to mention my breath. We had to take some stops so i could actually breathe but somehow we eventually met up with the others in one piece.

"Hey lookin' good Dave." Dirk was the first to talk. "Already getting comfortable here huh?" He was standing with Roxy and Rose. Facing the door that we would all soon be exiting from.

"Ooooo! You look nice Dave." Roxy said, a smirk on her face. "You are literally glowing." I wasn't literally glowing but i knew what she meant, i guess. So I just smiled back at her. A man put my Prospit sash on me while I waited by Dirk.

"Dave! How do you like my clothes?" John's voice echoed through his silly bucktooth smile from the back of the room while they walked toward us. John and Jane were dressed in very nice, very fancy yellow clothes.

"I don't know, egbert. Definitely not as cool as my usual get up." He rolled his blue eyes and let out a little sigh, there was a slight smile on that sigh though. "Relax Egbert, I'm just kidding. These look awesome. Don't they?" Finally looking at me, he paused and then smiled and said, "Oh, yeah Dave I think you look really cool!"

We were interrupted when we were informed it was time to line up, be ready to be introduced and begin the festival. First, of course, Jane, John, and Jade were called to exit the doors and proceed to the gate to be seated for the festival. Jade waved good-bye to me while she intertwined her and John's arm, walked forward, and disappeared behind the castle doors. Then it was just Dirk, Roxy, Rose and I. We were standing side by side in a perfect line. After some announcements had been made I finally heard Dirk's name shouted from the other side of the doors. He walked forward and then he was gone. Next was Roxy's name. Then, Rose's. Finally, my name was called and I stepped before me to walk through the doorway.

* * *

 

Once I was outside there were what seemed like millions of prospitians looking at us and smiling their bright smiles. I took my place, beside Dirk this time, and then we all sat down on the thrones provided for us. Everything was going fine but then I realized the confusion on some peoples faces when they saw me wearing their kingdoms colors. I tried not to think much of it. Jade and I's marriage would be announced soon and then they would all understand. Sure enough, the announcer revealed that Jade and I would be married and then asked us to get up from our seats momentarily. They moved Jade's seat and my seat so that they were closer together. They were already close together since the order from left to right was Jane, John, Jade, Me, Dirk, Roxy, Rose. This way though, Jade and I were definitely the center of attention. Jade gave me an awkward smile and then sat back down. I did the same. The trumpets sounded, decorations flew everywhere, and we were treated to a beautiful festival that showcased what Prospit was like. Everyone was dancing and there were lots of booths with games to play. From where I was, on a level above the ground where the festival was being held, I could see that not even everyone that attended was able to get through the huge crowds. Truly amazing.

"Are we just supposed to sit here? Why aren't we partying with everyone else?" I asked. There was no way we were just gonna sit here.

"No, no silly." Jade replied to me. "We aren't staying for long. We go back inside and have our own party!"

"That seems kinda boring but, ok." To be completely honest, I was hoping we might meet that potions guy and that Kanaya girl again. I should probably stop thinking about it. I mean my bride to be was sitting right next to me. Jade's face then wore a doleful expression. "Uh...I mean...sorry, Jade. It's probably gonna be a great party. So when do we leave?"

Her expression lightened a bit after that and she just said "In a few minutes. We can't leave until everyone is immersed in the festival. We'll probably have to come back out later though since we are the center of attention here."

"Alright, sounds cool. Well, I am so ready to eat. Please tell me we are gonna eat at this great party of yours."

"Of course!" Her smile was back. We waited for about twenty more minutes until we were able to go inside to the party for royals. The diversity and loud music of the festival died out as we were seated in the Great Hall atop the dais. An amazing mix of delicious scents filled the room while waiters walked about serving the guests food and asking if they were pleased with everything. There were a few others here, mostly people that worked at the castle, but I did see some random villagers in the crowd too. One of the waiters had placed a plate of food in front of me, bowed, and then left to keep doing their job. I had my food, now i just needed a drink. Water was already on the table but who wants to drink water at a formal event. Give me some fancy drink that I can brag to my friends about. Right when i was about to ask about beverages, a voice rang next to my shoulder.

"Would you like to try one of Kanaya’s famous “potions”..." Their voice trailed off and became silent at the end. When i looked up and noticed who it was I was either really excited or really surprised. Probably both. The really hot potions guy was standing there, looking the other way, puffing up his cheeks and blushing. That was actually really cute.

"Hey. Don't mind if I do. I was wondering when you would pay me back for spilling your drinks on the only clothes I had, earlier."

"Who said I was here to pay you back? I happen to be working a job right now, thank you very much. And...sorry...about that.” His voice trailed off again at the end. It was like he was embarrassed to apologize but he knew that he should. Whatever it was, it was really cute.

"Will you pick a color already so I can move on? Despite your status, you aren’t the only one here you know." He said pointing to the potions he had on hand.

"Woah, careful, talking to a prince like that could get you in a lot of trouble. You don't want to mess with me too much."

"Oh, shut up you cox-" He stopped himself. "Please pick a color...Your Highness." I just had to smirk at that.

"Hm. Alright. I'll have a red potion." I had my eyes on a bright red potion that he had. The color kind of reminded me of his eyes and it was probably my favorite color. When he reached to grab it though, he instead grabbed the dark red potion that looked a bit like dark fine wine. “Hold on, I want the bright red potion not that one.” His eyes widened in surprise and he looked at me as if I was insane and bright red potion didn't even exist.

"You want the bright red one? Really?" I didn't get it. All i knew was that there wasn't red "potion" in my glass and I was really thirsty.

"Yes. Really. Is there a problem? Give me some of that red potion."

"O-ok." When he finished serving me some of that great red potion I asked why he was so shocked I had wanted the bright red one. He didn't respond. Instead he casually slid another insult at me and walked away, continuing to do his job and serve his little potions. I tried not to look at him so much but sometimes it just happened subconsciously. He was an interesting guy but, god you're being a huge creep Dave, be cool. A part of me was thinking I was happy it had been him that came rather than Kanaya and then I realized, I still didn't know his name.

* * *

 

When the party had ended, Jade and I went back out to the festival and sat back as people congratulated us on our engagement. A few people actually gave us gifts too. It honestly felt pretty good knowing that these people were thankful for our decision to marry for their safety. Sometimes, being a prince wasn't so bad.

It was a pretty nice experience. When the festival was over and everyone was on their way home or closing up shop, Jade and I returned to the castle. She had told someone to escort me to a free room to use and then disappeared into the west wing where the girls’ bedrooms were. Thank god too, I was so ready to go to sleep. Today had been exhausting. Once I was shown to my room, I thanked the woman that escorted me and then went in, took off my boots, and jumped onto the bed. Man, it felt so good to lay down. As soon as I closed my eyes I started to doze off and eventually I had fallen asleep.

* * *

 

My eyes opened slowly and I took in my surroundings. That’s right, I fell asleep as soon as i got on this bed. Sitting up, I yawned and rubbed my eyes. What time was it? I got up and walked over to the door, opening it in hope that there was a clock just outside. There was, and it read 11:15 pm. Why did I wake up at 11:15 pm? Maybe sleeping in a new place made me unable to actually sleep? Well, I’m awake now. I closed the door and went to sit back on the bed. What do you do when you wake up at 11:15 pm in a castle that isn't your own? Usually back in Derse I would sneak out around 9:00 pm and hang out with Sollux and Equius, but they weren't in Prospit.

I sighed, thinking.

I decided to live life on the edge. I got some clothes from the closet that was in the room. To my surprise, there were some clothes that wouldn't scream royalty. I grabbed them and put them on, making sure to look like a random villager as much as possible. I always did this when I would go meet up with Sollux and Equius too. Staying in a castle your entire life gets pretty boring. Especially when you don’t have parents and you’re two eldest siblings were struggling with all the responsibility of the kingdom. Hanging out with Rose is pretty cool but, sometimes she just wants to be left alone. So, one night I decided I was going to sneak out in casual wear and see what I could find.

I found Sollux sitting inside some tent, eating honey from a jar. He didn't seem to be getting customers at the time and there were just some random candles on inside a tent with some shitty sign i couldn't read. Anyways, from then on we became friends. He introduced me to Equius and then we kind of just became a little trio. Then, I told them I was the prince and Equius started getting weird after that. Sollux wasn't that surprised though, he said it wasn't unbelievable since they hadn't really ever gotten a good look at the royals from Derse. That no one had seen the younger royals since my mother’s death. Rose and I didn't have a need to go outside. It was always Dirk or Roxy that needed to go out, so no one actually ever saw us grow up. Apparently, my mother would always be the one to take us places and show us off to the kingdom. After she was gone though, Rose and I stayed in the castle most of our lives and were either with Cal, Roxy, or each other. Soon after all that, I was finally allowed to join the Derse knights and train. Then everyone in the kingdom began to recognize me, and sneaking out to hang out with Sollux and Equius became difficult again.

There was one problem about trying to sneak out in Prospit though...Going out in Derse was easy because I knew the knights and they didn't mind me going out to see some friends, but in Prospit… Once I was dressed, I walked out of my room and started walking down the way I had come. I really hope my memory doesn't fail me now.

* * *

 

After lots of sneaking, sarcasm, some reverse psychology, and a bit of acting, I had gotten myself kicked out of the castle. So, that went well. I walked around the kingdom, blending in with people that were still walking down the streets and laughing. Prospit was definitely safer than Derse. In Derse, I would never recommend anyone to walk down the streets at night. It’s terrifying. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary here though.

“Heeey man, what a motherfuckin’ miracle. I was just all up and thinking that it would be great if I could get a listener right now.” A guy with black hair covered by a yellow hood was sitting cross-legged on a pillow that was on a lot of overlapping carpets. He was sitting under some wooden stairs that were on the side of a building. There was also a really gross looking pie in front of him. He had white and black makeup on his face, almost like a jester, but he didn’t look like a funny dude. In fact I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. He leaned back onto some pillows that were behind him and breathed out smoke from a pipe that had previously been in his mouth. The pipe was connected to a vase like thing that was on a pillow behind him too. Smoke came out of the top of it when he put the pipe back into his mouth and puffed a couple times.

“So you wanna hear a sick motherfuckin poem I was just thinkin up?”

“Nah, I don’t have money anyways”

“Aw, no charge brother. We gotta be spreadin’ the miracles around with everyone for free.” I had no idea i was going to find such a chill dude on the streets of Prospit at eleven something pm.

“Alright, yeah, lay it on me. What d’ya got?” I sat down in front of him and crossed my legs, resting my head on my palm while i waited patiently.

He took the pipe out of his mouth again and held it by his knee while he looked up at the stars. He was silent for a good minute before he said, “Man, have you ever seen how beautiful the stars all motherfuckin are?” I waited, thinking it was a part of his poem but he continued to be silent.

“Is that your poem? Are we done here?” He looked back at me with surprised eyes.

“Oh, fuuuuuuuuuuck, I was supposed to be all tellin’ you a wicked poem I thought up. Sorry”

“That’s cool dude, you can just tell me now.” He sat there in silence again, looking at me.

“Shit man, I forgot.” I just nodded.

“So, i’m gonna keep walkin' around but keep being a cool dude, ok?” I got up and started to walk away when he said,

“Shit yeah, I will!” I looked back at him to give him a thumbs up, and I noticed the railing of the stairs was just high enough for me to be able to jump onto the roof...and there was a odd 3D triangle kind of thing sticking out of it. It wasn’t the chimney though because that was right next to it. Whatever it was, I wanted to sit on it and lay back.

“You know if there are any stores up there?” I asked the weird jester guy. He focused his attention on me again and took the pipe out of his mouth.

“There shouldn't be, man. No one has got their walkin’ on on those stairs since I've been here. I don’t stay all up in the same place for too long, though.”

“Alright, thanks.” I said when I decided to attempt this insane stunt. The stairs were creaky under my feet when i stepped on them. There wasn't a railing on this part of the stairs either, and my hands were in my pockets so it was honestly scary. I got to the top and was disappointed to find that I was wrong. I couldn't use the railing to get to the roof. There were some boxes up here though and I could definitely use them to get up. It’s like that was their sole purpose. Taking my hands out of my pockets, I stepped onto the box and pulled myself up onto the rough roof. My hands burned a bit, scraping against the roof but it was already happening. No going back now. I finally got onto the roof and looked up at the sky. Amazing. I stood there for a good minute or two but then my feet started to hurt from being slanted and carrying my weight at the same time, so I quickly walked over to the triangle thing and sat down, laid back, and looked up at the sky.

I was there for about 15 minutes before I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Shit, if that’s one of the shopkeepers...I stayed silent and tried to shrink myself so that I couldn't be seen by anyone. I’m pretty sure it didn't work as well as I thought it did. The footsteps stopped and then someones hand reached up onto the roof, exactly where my hands had gone when I was trying to get up here. I relaxed and waited to see whoever this person was. Black hair finally rose above the roof and they sat on the surface, making their next move to get up, no doubt. When they finally started to stand up, they looked at me and froze.

No way, It was the potions guy. This guy was probably gonna go off on me any second considering how well our interaction went back at the party.

“Who the fuck are you?” he said. Oh yeah, I forgot, I’m not dressed like a prince right now. And the bottom of my face was covered by a scarf. He started walking towards me and his footsteps became louder and louder the longer I didn’t respond.

“Are you deaf or are you going to answer my question?” Damn, this guy really had a mouth on him.

“Why don’t you come closer.” I said. His face relaxed instantly and he looked to the side.

“N-no.” I laughed, he tried to act tough and all but, he was just really cute in my eyes. His gaze slowly came back to me and while it did, he crossed his arms. “Wait a second…”

How he walked so fast on the roof was beyond me, but he was approaching me at a very fast speed. Finally standing a few inches away from me, he reached up and pulled the scarf off my face. “I knew i knew that voice from somewhere. What in the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be all cozy in your stupid little prince bed at the castle.”

“Hey. It was actually a very nice bed.”

He grunted.

“Look dude, I don’t wanna be there. It’s boring there. There’s nothing to do like ever when you’re a prince. Please don’t tell anyone that I was here. Ok?” He just looked at me, his arms returning to their crossed position.

“Ugh, fine. But this is my spot so you’re gonna have to move over.” His eyes trailed down to the spot next to me and I moved over so that I wasn’t in the middle anymore. He climbed up and sat next to me, but he didn't lay back. Instead, he brought his knees up near his face and rested his chin on them. He hugged them and then stayed silent.

“So...you come up here, often, then.” I said awkwardly, hoping to break the silence.

“Yeah, I don’t get a lot of sleep. So, I come up here and do some thinking or just watch the stars.” His head was the only thing that moved, bobbing up and down while he opened his mouth to talk. I laughed at it, and he turned to me embarrassed with the reddest face I had seen on him.

“W-what? Don’t laugh.” I lowered my hand from my mouth and rested on it again.

“Sorry”

“Oh yeah? So tell me what you were doing up here then, cool guy.”

“Cool guy? Don’t you think you’re getting a little too comfortable with a prince?” I smirked and looked back at him.

“You’re the one who dressed like a villager and came out here. I imagine you want to be treated like a villager?” There was honestly nothing I could say to that.

“Well, yeah. I came up here to look at the stars too. That weird jester under the stairs told me no one had been up here in a while though, so what’s up with that?”

“Uggghhh, you mean Gamzee? That bootless drifter that claims to be a bard?” A bard, huh? The poem thing made sense now.

“If were talking about the guy that says “motherfuckin’” a lot, then yeah, him.” He let out a deep sigh and then turned back to me.

“Yeah, that guys basically a fucking idiot. He’s also kind of my best friend though. I dont know, It’s complicated.” We sat in silence again, looking at the sky. Well, I mean I looked at the sky. He just kind of looked straight out, unblinking, over the buildings.

“Oh, yeah. So, what’s your name?” I asked. I had been dying to know since we met this morning. “Remember? You said you wouldn't tell me since I was a prince and you were some potions boy and we would never meet again. But haven’t we met, what, three times today? It’s destiny.”

He looked at me, Peeved and said, “My name is Karkat. Karkat Vantas.”

Karkat Vantas. Finally.

He rested his head back on his knees and took a breath. “My name is Dave Strider. But, you probably already knew that.” I didn't break my gaze from the sky and he didn't break his from the Kingdom.

“You really are a coxcomb.” He said.

“Yeah, I know.” I replied.

Karkat and I sat there for a while, talking about whatever came to mind. The dude was kind of an asshole but he was a super cute asshole. Besides, I’m a pretty big asshole too. After a while he said he was leaving and told me that I should start to figure out how I was going to get into the castle again. I just groaned and laid back down, telling him I was just gonna wing it. It’ll all work out somehow.

“Do you even know how to get back to the castle? You just got here today.” He was in the middle of getting down from the roof.

“Huh. I think so.” I said.

“You think so? Come on, lumpish asshole. I’ll show you the way. You’re on your own after that though.”

“Aw don’t be that way, Karkat.”

“Shut up.” 

I smiled and followed him. We walked together all the way to the front of the castle, silent.

“Well, here we are. The castle you claim to be so boring. Have fun getting back in.” 

“Alright. See you.” I called back to him. This was definitely a very nice day. I hope I see him again soon.

Now, how was I going to do this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dave really got himself in a dumb situation. How will he get back in? Who knows.
> 
>  
> 
> ((also if you are good at english and want to help me with this fic you should totally do that. Or if you just have good ideas for what should happen in it you should tell me too.))
> 
> Okay thank you for reading~
> 
> (((((why wont the notes under this go away im so confused I don't like it)))))))


	3. Love-Hate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave is dumb  
> Karkat is hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA WHO DOESNT UPDATE THEIR FANFIC AS MUCH AS THEY SHOULD?  
> its me  
> i tried to get them more in character but i feel like i might be failing idk. If you have any tips, please tell meee. I'm trying to practice writing so i can write this even huger plotted out fic i have and i dont wanna do it with terrible writing omg.  
> ok, thanks for reading this, enjoy~

The thing about sneaking out of places is that, usually you don't plan on getting back in. And if you do, you usually think up a plan before you get out of there. And when I was hiding behind the nearest building in front of the gates by myself, I realized this. Genius move Dave. You are incredibly smart.  
  
I made sure that i looked like "prince Dave" again and yup, just started walking straight to the gate. I got nothing else. One of the guards on the right noticed and started walking towards me pretty quickly.  
  
"Hey! No one is allowed in the castle this early! Uh...late." He stopped glaring at me and then let his eyes wander in thought while he determined which was better to use in this situation. One of his buddies decided to help him out though by whispering that "it's early."  
  
He snapped out of it. "Regardless, you aren't allowed in the castle unless you have an appointment and Their Majesties never have schedules this early." Well yeah, it's only like what? Maybe 5 in the morning now? I have no idea but i can feel my eyes burn every time i blink and that means I need to go to sleep and that means i gotta deal with this guy.  
  
"Not even if i'm a prince of Derse? Damn, thought the prospitian guards were better than this."  
  
My answer surprised him 'cause he looked back to his buddy standing at the gate. Probably trying to communicate some sort of approval of me being a prince of Derse. Assholes, were they even paying attention during...the whole day?  
  
"Look, man. I am a prince of Derse. You could ask anyone. I'm supposed to be marrying Jade, you know?" Saying that out loud while knowing that i'm totally interested in someone else just made me feel like an even huger pile of shit. "Soon i'll be a prince of the Derse-Prospit Kingdom. You should memorize this sweet, soft face of mine."  
  
They exchanged looks that obviously said they weren't buying it.  
  
"Sorry kid, you're not getting back in." A spear was raised to my face and the guard with free hands pushed me back away from the gate.  
  
"Are you serious? Were you paying attention to anything that happened yesterday?"  
  
Stoic. None of them said a thing. The talky guard walked back to his post next to his friend, then they started whispering things to each other. Wow, real assholes. Talkin' about me, no doubt. Well. I'm out of ideas.  
  
Wait. I looked back in search of a guy about my height, black hair, beautiful skin. At first i didn't see him, but looking again i saw something moving near a completely shadowed wall. It was definitely Karkat since he wears all dark colors and basically looks like a big blob of black from the back. The back blob turned a corner and then was gone. I started running toward the shadowed wall, hoping not to lose him. I didn't know much about Prospit. And there was no way I was gonna sit here all morning looking like a huge creep after the Prince's and Princess' heads.  
  
"Karkat!" I shouted, when i was close enough for him to hear me. He stopped and turned around, hands still in his pockets. His eyes were wide but not with surprise, more like confusion. Then he smirked. "So you couldn't get back into the castle. I hope you realize now, how big of an idiot you were to leave in the first place. I mean seriously, who wants to leave a castle?"  
  
I chose to ignore that question. "Yeah, apparently I don't look anything like the prince of Derse who was outside all day yesterday for everyone to see. But it's cool, I'll just figure out how to do it later when there's sun out."  
  
"Later? If they didn't recognize you five minutes ago, sorry to bring the news to you but I'm pretty sure that means they wont recognize you three hours from now."  
  
"Yeah but Rose, Roxy and Dirk will be awake by then. So...maybe they could clear things up for me. I'll be in a hell of a lot of fuckin' trouble though."  
  
"So you do realize you were an idiot."  
  
"Look, anyways, I wanted to ask if i could just crash with you until i can think up some plan about how to reduce the amount of trouble i'm gonna be in soon. Also, i got nothing to do for the next three hours."  
  
He turned to me completely. It was silent for a moment. "Dave, I'm not harboring you."  
  
Where in the world did he get the idea of harboring me? He looked so serious too. Coulda convinced me that i actually needed harboring. Or like he would love to help me, but he couldn't do it under any circumstances.  
  
"Wait what? You won't be harboring me. I'm gonna be there for like three hours, tops."  
  
"Yeah, i know, i'm not fool-born. Do you really think that no one will come looking for you? The prince of Derse, that just arrived in Prospit yesterday suddenly goes missing during his first night in the kingdom? That would be the biggest crime to happen in Prospit in a while and I'm not gonna be the one behind it"  
  
Oh shit. I really didn't think of that. Another genius move, Dave. Just keep those brilliant ideas comin'.  
  
"Dude, you wouldn't be behind anything. I would just tell them what happened and everything will be cool again."  
  
"No, it won't. I can't risk..." He let his sentence trail off, looking from my left eye to my right eye repeatedly, probably debating something. I had never seen someone so worried.  
  
"What? You can't risk what?" This seemed pretty serious. Honestly, he was starting to make me worry. Was it dangerous for him to hang out with me? I didn't want to put him in any actual danger. I did want to keep talking to him though, so it would suck pretty bad if that was the case.  
  
"I just can't do it, ok? It doesn't seem worth it." He turned lost in thought and started walking again. Not even saying goodbye.  
  
"Wait, please Karkat. I don't wanna be out here when everyone wakes up. They'll all notice me and..." Shit.  
  
His shoes slid against the stone as he turned on his heel to face me.  
  
"Are you saying you actually don't like the attention of being a prince?"  
  
I didn't say anything.  
  
"Oh so the braggart coxcomb of Derse is actually a craven prince."  
  
"Hey. I am not craven. I happen to be a knight of the Derse Kingdom, and i was prepared to go off to war if it came to it."  
  
His eyes were definitely widened in surprise this time.  
  
"Am i hearing this correctly? You're a knight?"  
  
"Yeah. One of the best ones." All of a sudden he was looking at me like he should have been looking at me this whole time. Like a prince. As if it was a privilege to be in my presence. Then, he looked to the ground and crossed his arms. Weird. Has he never seen a knight or something? "So, whaddaya say? Let me hang out?" I raised my arms and shrugged.  
  
When his eyes came back up to mine, i noticed they were filled with anger. A perfect match to his eye color. He continued to stare into my gaze like he was seriously thinking this over. That was actually so cute on him.  
  
He finally lifted his head so that we were facing each other completely.  
  
"I'll do it-"  
  
"Yesssss."  
  
"-on one condition."  
  
"Nooooo."  
  
"Admit that you were a fonkin hoddypeak when you decided to sneak out of luxury, in the middle of the night, and create big fucking problems for everyone."  
  
"Alright, yeah, you win. I was an idiot. And do you have to use those words? Why do we speak like that. It's so embarrassing." He ignored everything i said after idiot reached his ears though.  
  
"A royal idiot."  
  
"Damnit, Karkat. Yes. I was a royal idiot." Ok, that was a good one.  
  
"One more thing. You can't mention anything to Kanaya about me going to that roof most nights, ok?"  
  
He started walking back in the direction he was originally planning to go and I followed. "Gotcha. You live with Kanaya? She like, your sister or something?"  
  
"Not necessarily. Honestly if anything, she feels more like my mom."  
  
"So then, that's a bad thing."  
  
"No. I love Kanaya, she and I are pretty close. It's a long story that is none of your business but were practically family."  
  
"Oh. Alright, cool."

* * *

  
  
After walking for about twenty minutes with karkat I still have absolutely no idea how to navigate the streets of Prospit. This is why being a prince is handy. Don't know where you're going? Doesn't matter. A servant will be by your side helping you in a matter of seconds once you say the word. I used to kinda abuse my power like that. Who wouldn't. But after i got bored of the 'prince' image, I started to do things on my own and basically never use servants. I sure would have loved to be able to use it once Karkat left me to get back on my own though.  
  
I had asked Karkat about his bard friend and he was in the middle of answering me. He said that they met at that exact spot and over time they just continued to see each other. That resulted in their friendship and they were pretty good friends for a while but then he got a hold of that outfit he was wearing and started smoking and being a drifter. So Karkat barely ever sees him anymore.  
  
"When i do see him though, it's not like i ignore him or anything. Like i said, he is kind of my best friend."  
  
"You're pretty chatty with me about this guy for someone who said it wasn't any of my business why the girl he lives with is like a mom to him."  
  
"Shut up, there was nothing else to talk about."  
  
He picked up his pace and lead the way to a street that i recognized to be the street that Rose and I's carriages wheel had broken on. There were no people around, but the sky was starting to brighten up. Prospit looked even brighter in the sunlight.  
  
"Over here." I heard Karkat's voice come from behind me. I had kept walking while completely lost in the scenery. I turned around to see him pointing into the alleyway between two buildings, one of them being the potions shop i had seen earlier. He turned into it and i swear i saw a smile come to his face right before he was out of sight.  
  
When i caught up he lead the way to a door at the top of some stairs behind the building.  
  
"Don't be loud. I don't know if Kanaya is still sleeping."  
  
"Sure."  
  
He turned the knob and went inside first. He didn't even hold the door open for me. Karkat really didn't care that i was a prince. I may tease him about minding his manners toward royalty but, truthfully, i love it.  
  
The room was actually pretty nice. It looked like a lot of thought had gone into how everything was arranged and coordinated. It wasn't the biggest space but it looked cozy enough. There was a small kitchen on the wall across from the door that we walked in from, in front of it were two wooden chairs that sat on either side of a small rectangular table that was covered with a nice white tablecloth. A big rug was under all of that and there were random things on the walls, like paintings, fabric and even some coats. Boxes of potions sat along the walls too. All of the walls. I noticed some were filled with empty bottles when i looked closer. A few pillows were sitting on the floor near a desk that had supplies and fabric spread out on it, sloppily. A full bookshelf was in the middle of two doors that were on the left wall. I assumed they were bedrooms. The only other door had to be a restroom. And in the far right corner of the room, next to the kitchen, there was an opening in the floor for stairs that came from the shop below. Light was starting to shine in through the windows.  
  
"Whoa, I like your place."  
  
"Don't make fun of me."  
  
I could see two reasons why he would think i was making fun of him. One, because I was an asshole who teased a lot. Two, because i was a prince and this shouldn't be impressive to someone who sleeps in a room bigger than the size of this entire place and a bed that's layered in blankets and pillows made of purple silk. I really hoped it was the latter though. Sure I tease, but I wouldn't make fun of someones living conditions. That's just fucked up.  
  
"Karkat, I'm serious. I like your place. It looks nice."  
  
"Says a prince who's lived in a castle his entire life."  
  
Thank god. It wasn't because that was what he expected of me.  
  
"No. Look, man. Living in castle may be nice and all but...it's all empty. Takes forever to walk everywhere. Sometimes when i'm looking for Rose, it takes me a good half-hour to find her since we have so many rooms and shit. I don't even know half of the rooms we have's purpose. A lot of them are just guest rooms. Not like we ever have any guests though. I'm serious. This is nice."  
  
He turned away from me and focused his attention on locking the door.  
  
"Well, Kanaya does all the designing in here. She really likes doing that kind of stuff."  
  
He turned his back to the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms. "So. This is it. Do you want something to drink or something."  
  
I decided to make myself comfortable and walked over to one of the chairs at the table and sat down. "Are you gonna serve me?" A smirk crept up my face and he definitely noticed.  
  
He turned away from me again, looking down and to the side. He cleared his throat and started walking to left side of the room. "You can lift your finger for once in your life, can't you? The water is right on the counter." He opened the door on the farthest right and disappeared into the room.  
  
I sat in silence, taking my time to admire his place again. I really did like it. What if Rose, Dirk, Roxy and I had grown up in a place as simple as this? I wonder how it would have been. Dirk and I could sell swords or something. And Rose would sit on the couch, reading all day. Roxy would help us out in the shop, maybe even sell something of her own. Roxy and Dirk wouldn't be so stressed all the time. We would all be closer and our parents might have still been alive.   
  
_Click_. The door behind me opened.

When he came back out of the room, he was dressed differently. I mean, he was still dressed in dark colors but he was dressed more formally? The point here is, he looked amazing and the red marker that filled my gay bar ran out of ink. Fuck, he's hot. God, I hope i wasn't blushing. My ears definitely felt hot.  
  
"So, you really can't lift a finger?"  
  
"Of course i can lift a finger."  
  
"Not just when you're drinking tea."  
  
"When else are you supposed to lift a single finger?"  
  
"Would you just get up and get some water by yourself."  
  
I joined him in the kitchen, following him wherever he went, since i had no idea where anything was. "Why'd you change? Do you guys work this early?"  
  
He was pouring water into his cup from a huge vase that was sitting on the counter. I did the same once he was slid it over to me.  
  
"No, Kanaya isn't even up yet. I didn't want to be in dirty clothes."  
  
"oh"  
  
Now we were both sitting down, across from one another and i could see his face more clearly. The sunlight made his eyes shine bright red, and it was my favorite color. Then they looked into mine and i swear no one had ever been so alluring. My train of thought was cut off when they narrowed.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
Suddenly, the cup i was holding in my hands was very interesting. Shit, am I blushing again? Keep it together, Strider. You've kept a stoic face for years and you choose now to lose control of it?  
  
"Sorry just uh, your eyes-"  
  
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah i know, I'll save you the trouble. I'm a freak. My eyes are the color of blood. I'm a demon, whatever. Those things don't have an effect on me anymore, so don't bother." He looked away then fiddled with his cup, swirling it around in his hand so that i could hear the water hitting the sides. My face turned up to face his instantly.

  
"Wait what, you mean you've been called those things before?"  
  
"Yeah. Sorry to break it to you, you weren't being very original."  
  
"Damn. That's fucked up, man. I'm sorry." I  looked down at my cup again so I wouldn't see his reaction to the next thing i was gonna say. "I think they're nice. Red is my favorite color. And your eyes just so happen to be my favorite shade." Fuck. My face is so hot. If Rose was here I just know she'd be smirking, holding back laughter, and raising her eyebrows at the same time. Oh my god. Why did I think that was a good idea? How many brilliant ideas am i gonna have today?  
  
I was too busy staring at my cup, focusing on calming down and putting my stoic face back on when i heard him shift.

"T-thanks"  
  
When i looked up, his left hand was rubbing the back of his neck. And he was looking away and to the side. I was surprised to find out that the color of his cheeks matched that of his eyes now.  
  
"Whoa, you're blushing." Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.  
  
"What? No i'm not, shut up. You're blushing!" Fuck.  
  
"Dude no i'm not. It's just really hot in here." Nice.  
  
"You are so full of shit!"   
  
"What's going on in here?" Both of us turned our heads toward the sound, considering neither of us heard her come in. "Karkat...you...are sitting here...with the prince of...Derse..." She held her look of disbelief for a good 10 seconds, I would say.  
  
"That's fucking right. In all his shitty glory."  
  
The 10 seconds weren't up yet.  
  
"Yup. Here I am. Drinkin' your shitty water. Sitting at your simple table. Talkin' to your-"  
  
"If you didn't want a drink, you should have said so. I'd be happy to go fetch you some high-quality water, but sorry! We don't drink water for assholes."  
  
Time's up.  
  
"Karkat. What is he doing here? How did he get in here. I won't be angry, just tell me."  
  
"Well, Kanaya, this douche bag asked me to bring him here cause his ignoramus ass got itself locked out of the castle that has better water than we do. It's an absolute _tragedy_!"  
  
Oh my god, he's actually getting really mad about this. I fucked up, holy shit. "I was just kidding about the water, sorry, god, its fine. It's good water, Christ, calm down Karkat."  
  
He relaxed and sat comfortably again. I chose to take a sip of water, just to show him that the water was seriously fine.  
  
Kanaya looked to me. "Oh, so you know each other's names and address each other casually...when exactly did you two get so close?"  
  
"Last night." I replied, without thinking. It was a good three seconds before I was hiding my blush again. This time I did it by taking a long sip of water. Karkat was holding his arms up, shaking his head frantically, and waving his arms and hands in that hello-gesture, to assure Kanaya that whatever she was thinking was wrong.  
  
"Last...-"  
  
"Kanaya, oh my god, i-it's not what you think. We didn't- I mean we met- Um, we just saw each other-"  
  
"Do you perhaps mean at the party that was held yesterday in the great hall?"  
  
The opportunity arose and I looked up to her so that our eyes wouldn't allow lies. Those years of wearing a stoic face were finally paying off. "That is exactly what he meant."  
  
Kanaya either bought it or chose to ignore that i was lying to save an awkward situation from happening. She nodded slowly. "Well, it's nice that you two have become such great friends in the last twenty four hours but we cannot just hide the prince of Derse in our house, Karkat."  
  
Karkat got up and walked back to the kitchen, putting his cup down on the counter. "I know I already told him he needs to be out of here before the next three hours are up." His arms were crossed again and he still had a slight tint of red to his cheeks. Man, that is so cute.  
  
"The clock is ticking, Strider. How are you going to get back into the castle? Wait for this Kanaya, it should be good."  
  
Kanaya just stood there, watching us have a conversation. We must be an interesting pair to observe. Even I would be interested in listening in if I wasn't a part of it.  
  
"So...Either I go to the castle when the brainless guards have changed shifts and have been replaced with smarter guys so I can just be let back in. Or, I could maybe just...you know, run out into the street and wait for some guards to see me? Maybe i could just stand outside the castle and Cal will come get me. That has to be a last resort though. Let me tell you, that guy is creepy as fuck. I am not ready to be pierced by his stare again. It's probably inevitable actually since I'm in huge trouble anyways." A sigh broke free from my mouth. What's that saying? Curiosity killed the cat. To think I was sleeping in a bed covered in silk just last night. Not that hanging out with Karkat hasn't been a pleasure. In fact, it's been a privilege. Karkat's an interesting guy. It's just, at what cost dave? At what cost?  
  
Karkat and Kanaya's long silent gazes were enough to make me feel uncomfortable over time. Karkat finally broke the silence and walked over to lean on the piece of table right in front of me.  
  
"The second option sounds like the only one that will work considering the fact that if you take one step outside, you're fucked."  
  
"I'm not a vampire, Karkat."  
  
"You're just as popular."  
  
Man, Karkat has a point. I only have experience walking around in Derse though, where it's really dangerous to walk alone. Especially if you're privileged or have worth to your name. And what I've seen of Prospit is a lot of sincerity and kindness. Would I even have anything to worry about if I just walked outside?  
  
"What's the worse that could happen if I were to just walk outside? I mean you guys aren't violent in Prospit right?"  
  
"Not really but, that won't stop people from swarming you with hellos and trying to get a closer look and, maybe even bowing to you. And, they might even think you're an impostor."  
  
"That's no big deal. I can handle it. I sneak out all the time in Derse, and there you always need to be on guard or else something serious might happen to you, so i'm sure some hugs and thank-you's are something i can handle."  
  
I noticed Kanaya had left through the wooden stairs at the corner of the room, carrying some crates of bottles, smiling.  
  
"Derse is really that dangerous? How could your kingdom end up that way?"  
  
"I would love to tell you my life story but I'm not in the mood. I should probably get this plan going. I would imagine right about now everyone is freaking out about my absence. Cals probably having murderous thoughts right about now. Dirk's probably rubbing his temples and going 'dave...'. Rose and Roxy probably don't care. Anyways, thanks for the water."  
  
I put the cup down a few inches from where he sat on the table, got up, and headed for the door. Going out the back is probably what will be best for Karkat and Kanaya since they don't wanna get in trouble for "harboring" a prince. When i reached the door i turned the knob, but it wouldn't budge. Karkat had locked it, i forgot. "Hey, could you unlock the door?"  
  
"Next time." He said, facing me from behind the table.  
  
"Uh, no, i need the door unlocked this time." What the hell. Once again I had the pleasure of watching his eyes roll and hearing his sigh.  
  
"Next time, tell me your "life story" and about Derse. Im curious."  
  
My blood actually pulsed through my veins faster. So there was going to be a next time. Nice. "Yeah sure, promise. Can you let me out of here now? Official prince business is waiting for me." That sounded so dumb why did I say that. Official prince business? Seriously?  
  
He walked over and pushed me aside while he unlocked the door. Surprisingly, he held it open for me too. I wanted to say something about him aiding a prince or joke about him being a butler but I decided against it.  
  
"Alright, see ya."  
  
"Bye"  
  
I walked out the door and went down the stairs. The door closed behind me with a click. He locked the door again. As much as I would love to sit here and think about everything that just happened, I needed to get back as quickly as possible. I turned the corner into the alleyway just next to the shop, closed my eyes, took a breath, and ran out to the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i gave up on using old time insults half-way through could you tell? they just sound so weird oh my god. like...bootless brid of a troll is an insult that they used. or like Craven whelp. Glos Horeson... Can you imagine if i used medieval words throughout this entire thing oh my god. I hope when i post this that thing under this will be gone. *crosses fingers*

**Author's Note:**

> haha..im a bad writer...thanks for reading anyways~


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